The Good Girl's Guide to Negotiating

March 1, 2001
Whitaker, a reporter at Time and ghostwriter of The Beardstown Ladies' Commonsense Investment Guide, and Austin, a contributing editor at Self, know from firsthand experience that many women don't negotiate effectively. Whitaker says she never considered requesting more than a flat fee for her work on the Beardstown book, but later rethought her position when the book became a bestseller, reaping countless profits for the packager. Whether accepting a new job, closing a real estate deal or considering volunteer projects, women should not fall into common traps of giving up too easily, acting overly nice or selling themselves short, Whitaker and Austin urge. Writing in an upbeat style, the authors provide lots of morale-boosting examples of women who have managed to conquer their weaknesses and adopt winning negotiating strategies, along with studies demonstrating the differences between how men and women negotiate. Careful preparation, listening to the other party and patience are key negotiating strengths common among women, they say. They also offer many standard tips for specific situations, such as negotiating on the phone, advising women who need time to think out their negotiating strategy to simply say it's not a good time to talk and to call back when they're ready. (Mar. 6) Forecast: The message that women can be good girls but not end up as doormats may hit home for many readers, especially if the authors make their case on national television as planned. Still, given the competition, and the familiarity of much of the advice, the book's success is likely to be modest.

March 1, 2001
Journalists Whitaker and Austin, once victims themselves, now set the scene for win-win negotiations, and they impart their advice with a chuckle. Three powerful and natural female instincts, they say, can be deployed to best effect when negotiating: empathizing with the other side, listening to your opponent, and interpreting nonverbal cues. Plus, specific remedies are gladly given for such commonly negative negotiation events as car purchases, prenuptial agreements, and salary talks; and they even offer pointers on how not to cry (looking up at the ceiling is their major advice on that score). Start with baby-sitter bargaining--and graduate to practicing unlocking deadlocks.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)